Numnahs are used as interlinings between a saddle and the back of an animal to be ridden. The function of the numnah is mainly to spare the back of the animal from direct contact with the saddle and to distribute the pressure from the weight of the rider evenly over the back of the animal. The numnah also protects the saddle from sweat that emanates from the body of the animal being ridden. Therefore, a numnah should have such mechanical properties that it can have a shock-absorbing function and also distribute force and weight. The numnah must not be to stiff but neither can it be too soft. Preferably, the numnah shall also permit a certain amount of ventilation since a numnah that is airtight causes the animal being ridden to produce more heat and sweat. This can be very uncomfortable for the animal being ridden. Moreover, the numnah must lie close on the back of the animal being ridden and not glide too easily against the back of the animal. It has been suggested in e.g. WO 93/15998 that, in order to prevent slipping between the numnah and the back of the animal, a numnah can be provided with a friction surface facing the back of the animal being ridden. In WO 01/10772, a numnah is disclosed that comprises a base layer made of polyvinyl chloride with an open cell structure. According to the above indicated WO 01/10772, a suitable material may be a material sold under the name “GALFOAM Metallocene Foam GM300” that is said to be available from Palziv in Israel. This numnah also comprises a scrim layer having a non-slip surface which may be juxtaposed the back of the animal to be ridden. The scrim layer comprises a planar polymer foam matrix configured to provide a plurality of open air pockets extending to the base layer.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a numnah having such mechanical properties that it may distribute the weight of the rider gently over the back of the animal to be ridden. It is a further objective of the invention to provide a numnah with a high permeability to air and thereby a good ventilating effectiveness. Moreover, it is an object of the invention to provide a numnah that has a good capacity for taking care of sweat from the animal being ridden.